Galligaskin's Submarines ~ Fort Worth, Texas

Thanks to a reminder from Food and Fort Worth, Texas, the Mrs. and I decided to journey over to Ft. Worth and visit Galligaskin's. You may think it's a bit far to go for a sandwich, and it is, but I wanted to revisit a place I haven't to in over 20 years.

Galligaskin's started in Dallas (near SMU) in 1972 by some guys who wanted to recreate the sub sandwiches they could get in Boston while attending college there. According to their website, they are the oldest sub shop in Texas. Really? Well a quick check of two of the most known of Texas sub chains, The Great Outdoors of Dallas (1973) and Thundercloud of Austin (1975) does indicate that Galligaskin's may indeed be the original - at least of those that are still around.

At one point, the chain had grown to quite a few stores throughout DFW, including one near Bachman Lake in NW Dallas. Even though Dad and I were loyalists to the nearby Great Outdoors, we did cheat on them a couple of times and gave Galligaskin's a whirl. In the end, we felt The Great Outdoors was the better of the two. Unfortunately, this location of Galligaskin's bellied up shortly thereafter (the Bachman Lake location of The Great Outdoors, though it held out much longer, has also been closed for some time). That was over 20 years ago. This may be the only place in DFW that I have a 20 year interval between visits.

Today, the Ft. Worth store on Camp Bowie (opened in 1973) is all that remains of the chain. It's independently owned / operated and seems to do quite well. It has attained a cult following, especially those who have nostalgia on the brain.

I had the Italian, generally my test sub for these kind of places. Soft hoagie roll (plus), light on the meat (minus), with flavorful toppings and dressings (plus). It's a good sandwich, but I'd be lying if I said there isn't better out there.

I mentioned to Mrs. RJG, that the Philly is recommended here, and since that's one of her favorites, she made a go of it. It was a hit - and she allowed me a bite (what? half a sandwich isn't a bite?). We both loved the seasoning of the meat - a special salty blend. And the soft roll was perfect for the sandwich. We also went in for an order of tater tots, something that Mr. RJG remembers fondly from his days working in Boise, Idaho. Yep, these are homemade tater tots! Good and greasy, the latter sealing the deal on its authenticity.

Everything about the place recalls a Northeastern sandwich chain, from the lighting to the seating to the lettering of the sandwich board. Definitely brought back memories for me.

Popular posts from this blog

Here's something I've been meaning to promote here on the RJG, and I forgot about. This probably doesn't apply to the majority of you, but for a borracho like me, I find it very important.

As a rule, we like to eat our lunch early (generally between 11:00 and 11:45), primarily because we've already run 3.5 miles and I don't feel like breakfast. Especially on Sunday's - and Mexican food is usually very high on our list of choices. Well Mr. RJG loves his frozen margaritas with his Mexican food, especially in the summer! Now comes the dilemma - will the restaurant actually serve me the drink without question before Noon on a Sunday? 95% of the time the answer is yes. And those 95% of the times, the restaurant is technically breaking the law. Not that I would ever tell...

The TABC's website is incredibly vague on the topic. They say nothing more than "Sunday: Noon to midnight. (10am-noon only in conjunction with the service of food)". Very well then…

Freddy's Frozen Custard is exactly the type of regional chain the RJG loves. Started only a few years ago in Wichita, Kansas, the chain has slowly expanded in a circumference, with a stronger market penetration to the south and west, naturally enough since it's following population trends. Texas has been a key focus area for them starting in San Antonio and working their way up.

Freddy's seems to have modeled their chain after two different, but iconic, Midwest concepts: Steak & Shake and the proliferation of Custard stands in Kansas and Missouri (Sheridan's, Fritz's, Ted Drewes, etc...) This blend has proven to be a hit, and Freddy's continues to grow at a rapid rate despite a deep recession. And its no surprise why: The food here is great, and offered at a good value. One reason for both of these qualities to remain true is that Freddy's is still a relatively small independently run chain, where the owners maintain …

THIS... this is what I've been talking about in regards to artisan pizza and craft beers. The craze that is taking hold in America is reflected quite well here at Wise Guys. Though the pizza isn't really in the same category as Grimaldi's or Spin!, it's still a fine blend of well made pizzas and a superb local beer selection. Mrs. RJG and I had visited two weeks ago, and when Mr. Music and I planned a day of food, drink, and tunes, I decided this would be the perfect lunch location. Following that, I would enter it here into the blog.

Food: Pizza is the main draw, but they also have a fine selection of pastas, sandwiches, salads, and soups. We've only sampled the pizza so far, but based on the sauce that comes with the baked pizza dough balls (served pre-meal like chips at a Mexican restaurant), I am most excited to try their pasta. Mrs. RJG and I tried one of their Neapolitan pies with Italian sausage and fresh basil. The crust is a bit thicker than Grimaldi'…

Facebook

C'mon in everyone!

Who is the RJG anyway?

Established in 2008, The Regular Joe's Guide is a defiantly independent, non-profit, anonymous blog dedicated to providing information about the enormous amount of great restaurants out in the world today. We do this as a public service, with no personal benefit, other than to continue to be able to eat at these fine establishments. It is important to maintain our anonymity in order to be completely objective, and not be swayed by freebies or other promotions. We like great food, and it can be a 5 star restaurant, a family diner, a taco truck, or an established fast food place. We're not food snobs at the RJG.

We welcome other writers to the RJG, so please drop us a line if interested!

Contributors

Ratings

5 - Best of the Best! We rarely give this rating out (less than a handful). Must be a truly exceptional place that we've been to many times, over many years, and never fails. No new place can get a 5. This one takes time to achieve.4.5 - Super, one of the RJG's favorite restaurants. This is also a rare designation and truly represents some of our all-time favorites. Must have visited 3 times to receive this grade.4 - Excellent, and worth going to over and over in a year (and sometimes we do just that if time allows).3.5 - Very good, and we may go 2 to 3 times a year.3 - Good, perhaps worth a visit on rare occasion. Maybe once a year or every other year.2.5 - Average, would need encouragement to go back at all.2 - Disappointing, not what we had hoped or expected.1.5 - Terrible, and recommend strongly against.1 - Difficult to finish the meal it's so bad.0.5 - Walked out in disgust. Calling health department... (there's only one of these and not recorded here)